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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785906">In Between the Lines (or The Things We Leave Unsaid)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/artku/pseuds/artku'>artku</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fairy Tail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, F/M, Grayza - Freeform, Grayza Fanzine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:42:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,240</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/artku/pseuds/artku</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two communication-challenged mages discover that there is more than one route to a happy ending.<br/>Set during and post-Alvarez.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gray Fullbuster/Erza Scarlet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Grayza Fanzine</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In Between the Lines (or The Things We Leave Unsaid)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prestocrayon/gifts">Always-Needing-To-Be-Saved (Prestocrayon)</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=WolFang1101">WolFang1101</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The lovely mods of the Grayza fanzine told me to go ahead and post my fics on here! So hurrah! I still highly recommend you download it (google search Grayza fanzine tumblr, you'll find the link there) because they have some fantastic artwork on there, that really makes my fics look so much better T_T</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Footsteps rustled on the forest floor behind him. The pace and weight of them were familiar. Friend, not foe. Gray relaxed as he heard the chink of her armour. A gentle breeze murmured through the night as she sat down next to him.</p><p>"I believe in him," he said eventually. He knew that was why she had come. Their argument over Natsu earlier in the day had left a bad taste in his mouth as well. Enough ill blood would be shed with the dawn. They did not need any between them. "Believing in someone doesn't mean you don't want to protect them," he continued. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Isn't that what <em>he</em> does for you?"</p><p>Erza hummed a non-committal 'yes.' Her face was troubled.</p><p>"Where is he anyway?"</p><p>"He will turn up. He always does."</p><p>Gray snorted. "You have faith in him too."</p><p>Her eyes darted towards him, surprised by the resentment in his tone. "Yes."</p><p>Of course, she did. Why would she not? Gray hated the shard of jealousy that stung his heart. He was not as strong as them. He would never be. It did not stop him from wanting the same faith from her.</p><p>They were at war. This was not the right time for this.</p><p>"I wish you would rely on me, the same way you rely on them." His base nature won out. Why die leaving things unsaid?</p><p>"Why would you sa-"</p><p>Her words were cut short as Laxus emerged from the trees behind them. "Sun's coming up. We'd better get going."</p><p>Gray got off the ground and dusted off his shorts. "Don't die today," he said, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.</p><p>She hesitated for a fraction of a second, almost as if she wanted to finish what she had started saying earlier. It turned out she had better control over her base nature than he did. She put her hand in his and let him pull her up.</p><p>"You too."</p>
<hr/><p>They won. He could hardly believe it. A motley crew of guilds had repelled the invasion of an entire continent and taken down a monster that had terrorised the land for over 400 years. He did not want to think about it. Every time he did, the more absurd it seemed that they had all survived. Maybe they had not. Maybe this was purgatory and none of them had realised that they were dead.</p><p>A heavy hand thumped him across the back. "You're bringing everyone down with that face of yours, ice prick!"</p><p>"Oh yeah, you want to go, fire breath?" His words lacked their usual bite. He grinned at the friend who, only a few hours ago, he had thought was dead. The smile slid from his face. "I'm glad you're OK," he said, wrapping Natsu in a hug.</p><p>Shock stilled Natsu's arms for a moment before they found their way around Gray. "What are you talking about? I'm always OK."</p><p>A laugh burst forth from Gray. "Yeah. You always are."</p><p>Natsu walked off, his arm raised in farewell. Gray watched him go, grateful that his friend was alive. Grateful that all his friends were alive. Grateful that <em>he</em> was alive.</p><p>He turned back to his beer only to find that Erza had taken the seat next to his. She watched him, a soft smile dancing on her lips.</p><p>"What?" he asked defensively.</p><p>"Nothing." The smile grew the tiniest bit wider.</p><p>Gray huffed and took a swig of beer. A raucous cry went up as another platoon of mages made their way into the guildhall. Troops from all over the country were filtering into Magnolia for the celebrations. They had <em>won</em>. He still could not believe it.</p><p>He glanced over at the happy faces around him. "Where's lover boy, then?" he asked Erza.</p><p>Her brow wrinkled briefly. "It's not like that between us."</p><p>"No? You don't love him?"</p><p>She took a moment to answer him. "I do. I always will. But we'll never be together. Our paths are different. We are like railway tracks. We will run side by side but will never meet."</p><p>Gray looked at her sceptically. "So what? You'll just never marry, or have kids, or do any of that stuff?"</p><p>She rested her head on her hands and looked at him. "The heart has a lot of room in it."</p><p>He traced the rim of his beer mug. Silvery dendrites of frost wisped their way across the glass. "And this guy is supposed to just be OK with the fact that there will always be someone else you love more?"</p><p>"Not more. Equally. Maybe even less. But never more."</p><p>"That's a big ask. I can't see anyone going for that."</p><p>She cocked her head at him. "Can't you?"</p><p>And Gray, stupid, hopeless, fool that he was, had to admit that he could.</p>
<hr/><p>Erza watched him take another sip of his beer. Somewhere to her left, the wizards from Blue Pegasus broke into bawdy, drunken song. The relief and happiness in the air around her was palpable. Yet something still troubled her.</p><p>"Gray," she said, "What we were speaking about the other night…"</p><p>It took a second for the comprehension to flicker in his eyes. "Forget what I said. Maybe it is better not to rely on me, after all." His eyes slid to where Juvia was sitting, her arms around Meredy as they both sang along with the Trimens.</p><p>"What are you talking about? I rely on you." She let out a frustrated sigh and ran her hands through her hair. Words had never been her friend. "You've saved my life countless times before. In the Tower of Heaven. When we battled the Oracion Seis. On the mission to the Sun Village."</p><p>His eyes widened in surprise. He fingered the stained bar top for a minute. "I didn't think you'd noticed," he said, looking away.</p><p>"Of course, I noticed," she replied. It was her turn to look away. "I just… I didn't know what to say."</p><p>"And now?"</p><p>Her silence seemed sufficient response to him. He got up to leave. She watched him go, her eyes fixed on the blue-tinged scar on his back. She was overcome by a sense that the future was balanced on a precipice. If she let him go now, it would be for the last time.</p><p>Her legs started moving before her mind could catch up. She had to stop him.</p><p>When she caught up to him, he was standing by the back door to the guild. Slumped forward, his forehead resting against the wood; pain etched on his face.</p><p>She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. Surprise, shadowed by the smallest sliver of hope, flashed in his eyes. She still did not know what to say. So, she showed him instead. She slid her hands across his jaw, reached up, and kissed him.</p><p>He responded immediately. So quick that it felt like he had been leaning in to kiss her the instant she had kissed him. He cupped her face in his hands and returned her kiss with such aching tenderness that it felt like her heart would burst.</p><p>They stood like that for a long moment, their arms around each other, speaking through their silence.</p><p>"Let's go home," he said, when they finally pulled apart.</p><p>She smiled, burying her nose in his chest. "I am home."</p>
<hr/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks again to Sou for the artwork that appeared alongside this in the zine. You are immensely talented and I'm so happy my work got to share a space with yours.</p><p>Also thanks to WolFang1101 and Always-Needing-To-Be-Saved (Prestocrayon) for organising the whole thing and for letting me work on the zine even though I missed the sign-up deadline. The final zine looks fantastic and I am so proud to have been a part of it. Hopefully gifting this work to you lets you know how I feel (though if you'd prefer another fic as your gift, do let me know haha).</p><p>Please leave a comment/kudos if you feel like it! Until next time :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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